Luke 17
Chapter 17
Teachings about Forgiveness and Faith
1 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!2 It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.
3 So watch yourselves!
“If another believert sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive.
4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”
6 The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!
7 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’?8 No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’9 And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not.
10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”
Ten Healed of Leprosy
11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria.12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance,
13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”t And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.
15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!”
16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.t”
The Coming of the Kingdom
20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs.t
21 You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.t”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns,t but you won’t see it.23 People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them.24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes.
25 But first the Son of Man must suffer terriblyt and be rejected by this generation.
26 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.
27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed.31 On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home.32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife!33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.34 That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.
35 Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.t”
37 “Where will this happen, Lord?”t the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”t
LUKE 17
Faith and Service
(Matthew 18.6,7,21,22; Mark 9.42)
1 Jesus said to his disciples:
There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin 2 would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck.
3 t So be careful what you do.
Correct any followerst of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry.
4 Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, “I am sorry,” you should still forgive that person.
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith stronger!”
6 Jesus replied:
If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!
7 If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, “Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat”? 8 No, you wouldn't say that. You would say, “Prepare me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink.” 9 Servants don't deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do.
10 And that's how it should be with you. When you've done all you should, then say, “We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty.”Ten Men with Leprosy
11 On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosyt came toward him. They stood at a distance
13 and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 t Jesus looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”t
On their way they were healed. 15 When one of them discovered that he was healed, he came back, shouting praises to God.
16 He bowed down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was from the country of Samaria.
17 Jesus asked, “Weren't ten men healed? Where are the other nine? 18 Why was this foreigner the only one who came back to thank God?”
19 Then Jesus told the man, “You may get up and go. Your faith has made you well.”God's Kingdom
(Matthew 24.23-28,37-41)
20 Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come. He answered, “God's kingdom isn't something you can see.
21 There is no use saying, ‘Look! Here it is’ or ‘Look! There it is.’ God's kingdom is here with you.”t
22 Jesus said to his disciples:
The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not. 23 When people say to you, “Look there,” or “Look here,” don't go looking for him. 24 The day of the Son of Man will be like lightning flashing across the sky. 25 But first he must suffer terribly and be rejected by the people of today. 26 t When the Son of Man comes, things will be just as they were when Noah lived.
27 t People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day when Noah went into the big boat. Then the flood came and drowned everyone on earth.
28 t When Lott lived, people were also eating and drinking. They were buying, selling, planting, and building. 29 But on the very day Lot left Sodom, fiery flames poured down from the sky and killed everyone.
30 The same will happen on the day when the Son of Man appears.
31 t At that time no one on a rooftopt should go down into the house to get anything. No one in a field should go back to the house for anything.
32 t Remember what happened to Lot's wife.t
33 t People who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them. 34 On that night two people will be sleeping in the same bed, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.
35-36 Two women will be together grinding wheat, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.t
37 Then Jesus' disciples spoke up, “But where will this happen, Lord?”
Jesus said, “Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.”t
